Radian Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

Radian’s terroir is rugged and extreme. At its highest points, the Radian vineyard reaches nearly 700 feet, and here vines are more exposed to the wind. The resulting grapes express these wild conditions, with more austere, structured tannins. Radian covers just over 100 acres, with a tiny portion planted to chardonnay (6.1 acres), and nearly 95 acres planted with pinot noir.

Radian is high in altitude and the ridgelines are steep, reaching nearly 700 feet at its highest points. Outcrops of diatomaceous earth and rocky soils dominate Radian and ultimately help define the type of fruit the vines yield. The rocky soils at the top of Radian offer good drainage and heat retention, an aspect critical to the production of ripe fruit at high altitude with cold, whipping winds.

We’ve sourced Pinot Noir clone 667 here since 2018.